Gen. Stanley McChrystal exonerated

When Rolling Stone ran its story, “The Runaway General, last year on Afghanistan top commander Gen. Stanley McChrystal, President Obama said that the story showed conduct that “undermines the civilian control of the military that is at the core. And it erodes the trust that’s necessary for our team to work together to achieve our objectives in Afghanistan.”

Charles Dharapak, AP

President Obama salutes

Remember the calls for McChrystal’s head in the wake of the story? After years of encouraging the military to deride George W. Bush, Democrats saw any military criticism of the White House as lese majeste. House Appropriations Chairman David Obey, D-Wis., summed up the calls for McChrystal’s resignation, when he said, “If he actually said half of what is being reported, he shouldn’t be in the position he is in.”

Those who read the story, however, understood that Rolling Stone never reported that McChrystal said what Obey thought he said. As I wrote at the time,

Actually, McChrystal did not say half of what was reported. An unnamed aide called National Security Adviser James Jones a “clown.” A top adviser jokingly called Vice President Joe Biden “Bite Me.” An unnamed aide likened Special Envoy Richard Holbrooke to “a wounded animal.” Unnamed sources told freelance writer Michael Hastings that McChrystal described Obama as “uncomfortable and intimidated” at their first meeting.

Don’t take my word for it. Quoth the New York Times today: “The article did not directly quote the general as saying anything overtly insubordinate.” And the paper reports that a Pentagon investigation found no proof of wrongdoing.

Being a good soldier, McChrystal resigned. Call this case of Washington justice: first the resignation, then the probe.

Worst of all, the McChrystal story shows has Washington rewards generals who are politicians, in part because the beltway doesn’t really care if they are able warriors.